American Apparel Deploys High-Speed Back-Up And Router Management

Challenge

As one of the few apparel companies to do all of its manufacturing in the U.S., American Apparel has to use every angle to compete against foreign companies with far lower operating costs.

One of those angles is using Cradlepoint MBR1200B and MBR1400 routers for wireless Internet backup. American Apparel has also found that these routers are capable of using IPsec protocol for VPN to securely connect with their Cisco devices. The protocol allows the company to create virtual private networks between its headquarters and all of its retail locations around the world.

Solution

Cradlepoint routers enable American Apparel to keep hundreds of its international retail locations online through wireless 3G/4G broadband backup support. The stores can also use Cradlepoint routers to create private networks to company headquarters.

To manage its network of routers, American Apparel uses Cradlepoint’s cloud-enabled management solution. This network management solution allows American Apparel to centrally deploy, configure, and manage all of their devices across different retail stores to improve the reliability and enhance the intelligence of their network.

About 80% of American Apparel stores’ operations rely on a stable and fast internet connection. If an Internet provider’s physical line goes down, the store stands to lose functionality and sales – both of which put added stress on store employees and, more importantly, create a negative customer experience.

With Cradlepoint cloud management, American Apparel has the ability to remotely manage its routers over the network. This solution enables IT departments to identify devices whether they are offline or online, configure and upgrade routers automatically, and enable configuration of individual or groups of routers – all from one unified dashboard.

“If the Internet connection is down,” says Osvaldo Hurtado, American Apparel’s Director of Store IT Infrastructure, “our stores aren’t able to perform many of their daily operations, putting them in a very frustrating position. With the Cradlepoint and service from whatever carrier is dominant in the area, I can get the store up and operational within minutes.”

According to Hurtado, most American Apparel retail locations range from 1,400 to 1,500 square feet. With some wireless solutions, companies might have to buy additional equipment to extend the signal. In one Cradlepoint router, American Apparel gets wireless backup support, VPN connectivity, and WiFi capability. And all of this, he says, is available at a very competitive price, and with dependable customer support.